NUTRITION LABELLING FOR FOODSTUFFS REGULATIONS

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 449.20

NUTRITION LABELLING FOR FOODSTUFFS

REGULATIONS

1st January, 1999

LEGAL NOTICE 247 of 1998, as amended by Legal Notices 209 of 2004

and 317 of 2009.

The title of these regulations is Nutrition Labelling for

Foodstuffs Regulations.

L.N. 317 of 2009.

[Regulation 7(4)]

Vitamins and Minerals which may be declared and their recommended daily

allowances (RDAs)

Vitamin A (µ g)

Vitamin D (µ g)

Vitamin E (mg)

Vitamin K (µ g)

Vitamin C (mg)

Thiamin (mg)

1,1

Riboflavin (mg)

1,4

Niacin (mg)

Vitamin B6 (mg)

1,4

Folic acid (µ g)

Vitamin B12 (µ g)

2,5

Biotin (µ g)

Pantothenic acid (mg)

Potassium (mg)

2 000

Chloride (mg)

Calcium (mg)

Phosphorus (mg)

Magnesium (mg)

Iron (mg)

Zinc (mg)

Copper (mg)

Manganese (mg)

Fluoride (mg)

2,5

Selenium (µ g)

Chromium (µ g)

Molybdenum (µ g)

Iodine (µ g)

As a rule, 15% of the recommended daily allowance specified in this

Schedule supplied by 100g or 100ml or per package if the package contains only a

single portion, should be the percentage taken into consideration in deciding what

constitutes a significant amount.

NUTRITION LABELLING FOR FOODSTUFFS

(1) These regulations concern nutrition labelling of

foodstuffs to be delivered as such to the ultimate consumer. They

shall also apply to foodstuffs intended for supply to restaurants,

hospitals, canteens and other similar mass caterers (hereinafter

referred to as "mass caterers").

(2)

These regulations shall not apply to -

(a) natural mineral waters or other waters intended for

human consumption;

(b) diet integrators and, or food supplements.

(3) These regulations shall apply without prejudice to labelling

provisions of other regulations relating to foodstuffs intended for

particular nutritional uses.

(4) Subject to sub-regulation (5), nutrition labelling shall be

optional.

(5) Where a nutrition claim appears on labelling, in

presentation or in advertising, with the exclusion of generic

advertising, nutrition labelling shall be compulsory.

(6) These regulations shall not apply in the case of non-

pre-packaged foodstuffs put up for sale to the ultimate consumer or

to mass caterers, and of foodstuffs packed at the point of sale at the

request of the purchaser or pre-packaged with a view to immediate

sale.

Added by

L.N. 317 of 2009.

(Regulation 3)

Definition of the material constituting fibre

For the purposes of these regulations, ‘fibre’ means carbohydrate polymers with

three or more monomeric units, which are neither digested nor absorbed in the

human small intestine and belong to the following characters

edible carbohydrate polymers naturally occurring in the food as

consumed;

edible carbohydrate polymers which have been obtained from food raw

material by physical, enzymatic or chemical means and which have a

beneficial physiological effect demonstrated by generally accepted

scientific evidence;

edible synthetic carbohydrate polymers which have a beneficial

physiological effect demonstrated by generally accepted scientific

evidence.

In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires

"average value" means such value as best represents the amount

of the nutrient which a given food contains, and reflects allowances

for seasonal variability, patterns of consumption and other factors

which may cause the actual value to vary;

"carbohydrates" means any carbohydrate which is metabolised in

man, and includes polyols;

"fat" means total lipids, and includes phospholipids;

"fibre" means a material as defined in the Second Schedule;

"mono-unsaturates" means fatty acids with one cis double bond;

"nutrition claim" means any representation or advertising

message which states, suggests or implies that a foodstuff has

particular nutrition properties due to the energy (calorific value)

which it provides at a reduced or increased rate, or does not

provide, and, or due to the nutrients which it

(a) contains,

(b) contains in reduced or increased proportions,

(c) or does not contain

Provided that a reference to qualities or quantities of a

nutrient shall not constitute a nutrition claim in so far as it is

required by other legislation;

"nutrition labelling" means any information appearing on

labelling and relating to

(a) energy value;

(b) the following nutrients

(i)

protein,

(ii)

carbohydrate,

(iii)

fat,

(iv)

fibre,

(v)

sodium,

(vi)

vitamins and minerals listed in the First

Schedule and present in significant amounts as

defined in that Schedule;

"polyunsaturates" means fatty acids with cis, cismethylene

interrupted double bonds;

"protein" means the protein content calculated using the formula

protein = total Kjeldahl nitrogen × 6.25;

"saturates" means fatty acids without double bond;

"sugars" means all monosaccharides and disaccharides present in

food, but excludes polyols.

The only nutrition claims permitted shall be those relating

to energy, to the nutrients listed in paragraph (ii) of the definition

"nutrition labelling" in regulation 3, and to substances which

belong to or which are components of a category of those nutrients.

(1) Where nutrition labelling is provided, the information

to be given shall consist of either Group 1 or Group 2 in the

following order

Group 1

(a) energy value;

(b) the amounts of protein, carbohydrate and fat;

Group 2

(a) energy value;

(b) the amounts of protein, carbohydrate, sugars, fat,

saturates, fibre and sodium.

(2) Where a nutrition claim is made for sugars, saturates, fibre

or sodium, the information to be given shall consist of Group 2.

(3) Nutrition labelling may also include the amounts of one or

more of the following

-

starch,

-

polyols,

-

mono-unsaturates,

-

polyunsaturates,

-

cholesterol,

-

any of the minerals or vitamins listed in the Schedule

and present in significant amounts as defined in that

Schedule.

(4) The declaration of substances which belong to or are

components of one of the categories of nutrients referred to in sub-

regulations (1) and (3) shall be compulsory where a nutrition claim

is made.

(5) Whenever the amount of polyunsaturates and, or

monounsaturates and, or the cholesterol rate is given, the amount of

saturates shall also be given, sohowever that the declaration of

saturates shall not constitute in this case a nutrition claim within

the meaning of sub-regulation (2).

The energy value to be declared shall be calculated using

the following conversion factors

-

carbohydrate (except polyols) 4.0 kcal/g

17kJ/g

-

polyols

2.4 kcal/g

10 kJ/g

-

protein

4.0 kcal/g

17 kJ/g

-

fat

0 kcal/g

37 kJ/g

-

alcohol (ethanol)

7.0kcal/g

29kJ/g

-

organic acid

3.0 kcal/g

13 kJ/g

-

salatrims

6.0 kcal/g

25 kJ/g

-

fibre

2kcal/g

8kJ/g

-

erythritol

0kcal/g

0kJ/g.

7. (1) The declaration of the energy value and of the

proportion of nutrients or their components shall be numerical. The

units to be used are the following

-

energy

kJ and kcal

-

protein

grams (g)

-

carbohydrate

grams (g)

-

fat

grams (g)

-

fibre

grams (g)

-

sodium

grams (g)

-

cholesterol

milligrams (mg)

-

vitamins and minerals the units specified in the Schedule.

(2) Information shall be expressed per 100g or per 100ml In

addition, this information may be given per serving as quantified

on the label or per portion available, provided that the number of

portions contained in the package is stated.

(3) The amounts mentioned shall be those of the food as sold.

Where appropriate, this information may relate to the foodstuff

after preparation, provided that sufficiently detailed preparation

instructions are given and the information relates to the food as

prepared for consumption.

(4) Information on vitamins and minerals shall also be

expressed as a percentage of the recommended daily allowance

(RDA) given in the First Schedule for the amounts as specified in

sub-regulation (2). The percentage of the recommended daily

allowance (RDA) for vitamins and minerals may be given in

graphical form.

(5) Where sugars and, or polyols and, or starch are declared,

such declaration shall immediately follow the declaration of the

carbohydrate content in the following manner

-

carbohydrate of which: g

-

sugars

g

-

polysols

g

-

starch

g.

(6) Where the amount and, or type of fatty acid and, or the

cholesterol rate is declared, such declaration shall immediately

follow the declaration of total fats in the following manner

-

fat of which

g

-

saturates

g

-

mono-unsaturates

g

-

polyunsaturates

g

-

cholesterol

mg.

(7) The declared values shall, according to the individual case,

be average values based on

(a) the manufacturer’s analysis of the food;

(b) a calculation from the known or actual average values

of the ingredients used;

(c) a calculation from generally established and accepted

data.

(8) The information covered by these regulations must be

presented together in one place in tabular form, with the numbers

aligned if s pace per mits. W here space d oes no t perm it, the

information shall be presented in linear form. It shall be printed in

legible and indelible characters in a conspicuous place.

(9) The information covered by these regulations shall appear

in at least one or more of the following languages

-

Maltese

-

English

-

Italian.

This provision shall not prevent such information from

NUTRITION LABELLING FOR FOODSTUFFS

being additionally indicated in other languages.

NUTRITION LABELLING FOR FOODSTUFFS

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